Product Launch

Pearson PLC
15 November 2000


FTMarketWatch.com launches German site to tap into Europe's largest investor
community

FTMarketWatch.com, the leading source of online real-time news and interactive
data for the European private investor, will this month launch in Germany,
Europe's largest community of investors.

FTMarketWatch.de aims to target the rapidly growing number of Germans who
invest online. Latest research suggests that the number of Germans investing
online has more than doubled to 1.8 million in the last six months (source:
JPMorgan.) Some 34 per cent of German investors have holdings outside of their
national borders (source: Sofres) and are looking for high quality,
international real-time market news and advanced portfolio management tools
traditionally reserved for the city professional.

The early launch of FTMarketWatch.de builds on the initial success of two
Financial Times Group ventures launched earlier this year - FTMarketWatch.com
and Financial Times Deutschland. As well as achieving rapid increases in user/
readership figures, both businesses are generating strong advertising growth.
FTMarketWatch.de will work with FTD.de, the Web site of Financial Times
Deutschland, sharing content and promoting and driving traffic to their
respective sites. 

Stephen Hill chief executive of the Financial Times Group, said: 'Germany is a
very exciting and attractive market. It is the third largest economy in the
world, and has the biggest community of private investors in Europe. Financial
Times Deutschland is building its following within the German business
community more rapidly than we expected and FTMarketWatch is enjoying similar
success with the UK's private investors. This success gives us the confidence
to accelerate the launch of FTMarketWatch.de, capitalising both on our
editorial teams and our rapidly expandable technical platform. '

FTMarketWatch.com is a joint venture between the Financial Times Group and
MarketWatch (NASDAQ:MKTW), owner of cbs.marketwatch.com, the largest financial
news site on the Web. Its English language site, launched five months ago, is
now attracting over 240,000 unique users per month and was recently voted
'Best Investment News Site in the UK' by Investors Week Online Finance Awards.


Financial Times Deutschland, a joint venture between the Financial Times Group
and Gruner + Jahr, the German publishing group, was the first new German daily
newspaper in 40 years when it was launched in February 2000. Sales are running
ahead of expectations, with a first audited circulation of 60,000 daily sales
(Source IVW.) 

The Financial Times group is continuing to generate strong growth across its
international business newspaper and online operations. In October, average
daily sales of the Financial Times newspaper increased to over 476,000, a 12%
increase on October last year, and FT.com attracted some 1.7 million unique
monthly visitors, a 70% increase on the same month last year.

For further information:

John Fallon/Luke Swanson       Pearson plc              [phone]

Notes to Editors

The Financial Times Group

The Financial Times Group, part of Pearson plc (LSE: PSON), the international
media company, consists of:

- The Financial Times, recognised worldwide for its authoritative, accurate,
and analytical reporting, is firmly established as one of the world's leading
English language newspapers. With a daily circulation of over 476,000 and a
readership of more than one million people, the Financial Times is available
in 140 countries throughout the world. Its clearly focused and comprehensive
global coverage makes it an indispensable read for the international business
community.

- A 60% stake in the new business created by the merger of FTID
(www.intdata.com) and DBC (www.dbc.com).  Data Broadcasting Corporation
(NASDAQ: DBCC), is one of the world's leading sources of securities pricing
and specialist financial information to global institutional, professional and
individual investors.  Through DBC, the FT Group controls a 34% stake in
MarketWatch.com.

- FT.com (www.FT.com), one of the world's leading international business
information websites, provides its corporate audiences with the very best
general news and analysis, and specialist company and market information and
financial data. FT.com attracts over 1.7 million unique visitors each month
and generates over 35 million monthly page views, making it the most-visited
commercial news site in the UK, and among the world's most significant sources
of business news on the Internet. 

- Financial Times MarketWatch, (www.FTMarketWatch.com) delivers real-time
European markets and company news to individual investors.  Based in London,
Paris, Frankfurt and Amsterdam, the online group of Europe's finest financial
journalists is a joint venture between the Financial Times and CBS
Marketwatch.com.

- FTYourMoney (www.FTYourMoney.com) is a leading source of independent
personal finance information and guidance on the web.  FTYourMoney.com focuses
on process not product, to guide users to better money management.  The site
is updated throughout the day and includes individually placed guides,
unbeatable news and analysis and a range of accessible and easy-to-use
services.

- The leading business and financial newspapers and websites in France (Les
Echos and www.leseschos.fr), Spain (Expansion and www.recoletos.es) and
Germany (FT Deutschland and www.ftd.de) in partnership with Gruner+Jahr, one
of Germany's leading newspaper and magazine publishers.

- Financial Times Business (www.ftbusiness.com) is the magazines, energy and
conferences part of the FT Group.  Among leading magazines in the personal
finance, retail finance and institutional finance markets, FT Business
publishes Investors Chronicle, Money Management, The Banker and Financial
Adviser.  The globally successful energy business operates as E-Source and RDI
in the USA.  FT Conferences stages world-class events in conjunction with the
newspaper.

- FTSE International, a joint venture with the London Stock Exchange, provides
the professional investment community with the leading UK indices and,
together with the Amsterdam Stock Exchange, publishes the Eurotop family of
indices (www.ftse.com)

- A partnership venture with Dow Jones and Independent Media, Vedomosti
(www.vedomosti.ru), Russia's leading business newspaper.

- A 50% stake in BDFM, publishers of South Africa's leading financial
newspapers and website (www.bdfm.co.za)

- A 50% stake in The Economist group, which publishes the world's leading
weekly business and current affairs journal (www.economist.com).

MarketWatch.com, Inc.
MarketWatch.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: MKTW), a leading interactive financial media
company, provides fast, relevant information via the Internet, television,
radio, and print to help people make and save money. The company operates
comprehensive, financial Web sites at http://cbs.marketwatch.com and
http://www.bigcharts.com and, in a joint venture with the Financial Times of
London, launched its first international site at http://www.ftmarketwatch.com.
MarketWatch.com's financial news and tools are licensed in custom-designed
formats by major brokerages and Internet sites. The Company also produces CBS
MarketWatch Weekend, covering over 80% of the U.S. on 127 CBS television
stations, and provides daily business and economic reports on CBS Television
and Radio Network news programming. The MarketWatch.com Radio Network reports,
distributed by Westwood One, are heard in the top ten U.S. markets on 128
stations. In addition, MarketWatch.com made its print debut with the Daily
News Express, a commuter newspaper edition of the New York Daily News. 

Founded in 1997 and headquartered in San Francisco, MarketWatch.com has
facilities and bureaus in New York City, Minneapolis, Washington D.C., Los
Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Seattle, Detroit, Atlanta, Dallas, Tokyo, Hong Kong
and London. The MarketWatch.com Web sites are the most popular Internet
destinations for business and financial news and information, according to the
latest data from Media Metrix.